plea/pli; pliː/ n [C] 1 when someone asks for something urgently and anxiously 恳求，请求: Her mother ignored her pleas for help. 她母亲对她要求帮助的恳求置之不理。 2law the answer that someone gives when they are asked if they are guilty or not guilty in a court of law 【法律】 答辩，抗辩